


What's In a Friendship?

by Tormented_Gale



Series: Tales of the Abyss School AU [2]
Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: M/M, Modern AU, school au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-24
Updated: 2014-10-24
Packaged: 2018-02-22 09:39:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2503169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tormented_Gale/pseuds/Tormented_Gale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They are friends, but many question why. Only they know the true reasons.</p><p>Tumblr Prompt: Arietta, Sync, & Asch just hanging out.</p><p>Same universe as 'School Days' but later in the timeline.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What's In a Friendship?

Her hair is so… pink. Bright and obnoxious and looking like someone spilled Pepto Bismol over her head. And he has to look at it every single day, considering she sits in front of him in over half of his classes. He wants to groan every time she shows up - she’s never late, never misses a day, unlike him - and more than once he’s retreated to the roof of the building just to avoid her.

She’s so quiet too. When she speaks, it’s hardly above a whisper, unless she’s talking about some animal rights event or something. Then she’s nearly piercing, and sometimes he just covers his ears and waits until she’s either glaring at him or pleading with him to listen. Then he smirks and waves her off.

They’re friends. It’s a very odd friendship.

Then there’s Ass. Oh wait, Asch. Right. He smirks at the ‘slip-up’. The redhead scowls more often than Professor Curtiss gives homework (which is every moment of every class every day) and sometimes it’s a wonder that he’s able to make other faces. On occasion it looks like it’s frozen in a perpetual frown, and when his younger brother shows up twittering about this, that, or the other, it somehow deepens into something that actually looks painful.

That’s Sync’s boyfriend.

Arietta and Asch get along well enough when he isn’t bitching about some terribly, incorrectly written test about politics and history and she isn’t complaining about the newest animal to make the ‘Endangered Species’ list. They sit with Sync on the rooftop overlooking the school grounds - Abyss Academy, the place that builds character! - and watch the other kids play soccer or smoke just outside of the main doors.

Sync spots Asch’s younger brother Luke running around with the soccer ball at his feet. He’s actually pretty talented, though the blond near him is clearly the better player. They work well, playing off of each others’ strengths and weaknesses, and score a goal that has the whole team whooping and cheering. He smirks as the two give each other a nudge and a grip that’s definitely not fitting under the ‘just friends’ label they’re insisting on.

It’s a clear fall afternoon with just a hint of crispness in the wind. Arietta’s pink hair -  _shudder_ \- flies in the wind, and he’s half tempted to tug it just to annoy her. She sees the smirk on his lips and instantly ties it back. He thinks she looks good like that; he’ll never say a word. _  
_

"Asch, are you two going to the dance on Friday?" she asks, tucking a stray bit of hair behind her ear. The little hat she has is askew, but Sync wonders if it’s meant to look like that.

"Maybe," he answers and Sync rolls his eyes. The redhead hasn’t asked yet, and Sync’s not about to be the one, so he’s been twiddling his thumbs and muttering and angrily getting exasperated with every bit of Asch’s indecision.

"You should go," Arietta encourages. "I heard that they’re going to have live music!"

"… Is it the  _God Generals_ again?” Sync groans. “Haven’t they gotten sick of that music yet?”

"They’re good," Arietta defends and Sync smacks himself in the forehead. "What? You liked them before they got popular."

"Before they turned into a shitty pop band, you mean."

"You’re just upset that they don’t play your favorite song anymore," she sniffs, and for a second just a kernel of guilt pops in his stomach, and he glances at her to see if he’s genuinely hurt her feelings. But she’s just glaring down at her sandwich like it did her an injustice.

"No, they just - "

"Would you two shut up?" Asch sighs, and there’s no vitriol in his voice, but he does sound annoyed. Sync smirks at him and abandons his own lunch to lay back on his arms. He hears rustling briefly and glances at what Asch holds up from his paper bag lunch.

"What’s this?" Asch asks.

"Poptart."

There’s a brief moment of genuine confusion, then Asch repeats, “Poptart?”

"Yeah, they’re those things you put in microwaves."

"I know what a poptart is. Why is it in your lunch?"

“‘Cause it’s what I brought.”

Sync rolls his eyes, genuinely annoyed. His brothers all needed the rest of the food in the house, and he hasn’t had a chance yet to buy new groceries. Besides, working for  _Eldrant Marketing Firm_ and his boss Van Grants doesn’t pay a ton, even if shooting down every corrupt group through viral marketing campaigns is a hell of a lot of fun.

At least he gets paid today. Which reminds him: he needs to ask for work off for Friday. Between school and work, he doesn’t have much time for himself, but so long as he gets to occasionally see Asch and get his homework done (the little he actually does to pass) he’s fine.

"Do you have work after school today?" Asch asks, and Sync turns his head. He can see the concerned look on the other’s face and he scoffs.

"No. I’m fine, Asch. I don’t need you babying me."

"It’s not babying. It’s called caring, idiot."

"Says the guy who won’t ask me about the dance."

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"So are you asking me?"

He hears Asch groan and smirks again to himself. Arietta chews her food softly, and she glances between them with thinly veiled interest. It’s rare that they don’t fight, but it normally doesn’t involve their relationship. That’s something they keep privately to themselves.

"Do you want to go?"

Sync starts and sits up to regard Asch.

"You look like you ate a lemon gel," he comments and Asch gives him a quick glare.

"Do you want to go or not?" he demands.

"Of course I want to go," Sync sighs and rolls his eyes again. "But I didn’t want to if you weren’t going to be there."

Arietta lets out a soft sigh and they both turn to glare at her, though Sync knows his cheeks are flaring red and there’s nothing he can do about it. She shrugs, and beneath her sudden infatuation with eating her sandwich, sees her smile.

"Well I already bought the tickets… so we’ll go…" Asch mutters and pokes at his own lunch. Sync notices he’s kept half of his sandwich, a cookie, an apple, and a portion of his salad intact. Not a bit subtly Asch pushes the food towards Sync.

Instantly Sync opens his mouth to protest, but stops when he hears, “Just eat it. I’ll go with you to get groceries after school. Don’t get detention again, or bail. I won’t wait for you.”

But Sync knows he will, and that Asch will be grumpy and annoyed but still drive them down to the store to pick up whatever he needs, and he’ll drive Sync home and Sync’s brothers will all bombard Asch with questions…

He ducks his head so his hair hides his embarrassment and not a little frustration. Asch shouldn’t take care of him like this - he’s old enough and making his own money. He can take care of himself.

A soft squeeze to his arm has him lifting his head, and Asch simply nods, and carefully takes his hand. There’s a squeeze there too, fingers clutching fingers, and reassurance in every bit of the look in Asch’s eyes.

Well damn it. He can’t stay angry or frustrated even if he tries his hardest.

"Thanks," he mumbles. "I guess you can come with."

Arietta giggles, and Sync chucks a bit of turkey at her, and it devolves into namecalling and shouting and laughter. Sync remembers a time when he was an outsider, nothing more than a convenient answer book for those who couldn’t do their homework or a kid to get picked on. Now he has friends. Now he has people who care… and who he cares about in return.

So when Asch elbows him, Sync shoves him lightly, and steals the other cookie from Asch’s lunch, and laughs at the incredulous look on Asch’s face. Areitta manages to steal the cookie Asch originally gave to Sync and nibbles at it daintily just as the warning bell rings. He shoves food into his mouth, swallows down as much water as he can to get it all down, and they leave together.

He makes a face when Asch leans down to press his lips to Sync’s soft hair, but he grips Asch’s hand briefly in reassurance before the three of them run off to class.


End file.
